Agamemnon (Seneca's Eighth Tragedy) · chunk 26 of 28
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1566 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.81 · 479 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
The whilst (thou widow) answer me directly to this gear. Thy husband is bereued quite of breath, his life is done. Inquire where thy brother is, So seek about my son. He is departed out of Grefe. Go fetch him out of hand. Fetch thou my father unto me. give me to understand, Where doth he lurking hide his head? where is he shrunk away? All plunge of perils past he is, and at a quiet stay. And in another kingdom where no harm he doth mistrust, This answer were sufficient, to please a parent just. But one whose breast dothboil in wrath, it cannot satesfye. To day by death thou shalt receive thy fatal destynye. On this condition am I pleased, the Altar to forsake. If that this hand shall do the dead, my death when I shall take. Or else if in my throat to bathe thy blade, thou do delight, Most willingly I yield my throat, and give the leave to smite. Or if thou will chop of my head in brutish beastly guise, My neck a waiting for the wound out stretched ready lies. Thou hast committed sinfully a great and grievous guilt. Go purge thy hardened hands, the which thy husbands blood have spill. O thou that of my perylls all dost suffer part with me, And in my realm dost also rule with equal dignity, Aegisthus art thou glad at this? (as doth her not behove,) With checks & taunts the daughter doth her mother's malice move. She keeps her brother's counsel close Conveyed out of the way. Thou malapert and wills wench thine eluysh pra●yng stay, Refrain those words unfit thy mother's glowing ears to vex. What shall the breder of this broil control me with his checks, Whose father's gilt hath caused him to have a doubtful name, Who both is to his sister son, and nephew to the same? To snapp her head of with thy sword Aegisthus dost thou refrain? Let her give up the ghost: or bring Her brother straight again: Let her be locked in dungeon dark, and let her spend her days, In Caves & Rocks, which painful pangs, torment her every ways. I hope him whom she hidden hath, she will again descry, Through being clapped in prison strong and suffering poverty With earksom and unsavoury smells on every side annoyed, Enforst to wear a widows weed, ere wedding day enjoyed: Put in exile and banishment when each man doth her hate: So shall she be by misery compelled to yield to late, Prohibited of wholesome air fruision to have. Grant me mi doom by means of death to pass unto my grave. I would have granted it to thee, if thou should it deny. Unskilful is the tyrant, who by suffering wretches dye● Doth end their pains. what after death doth any thing remain?
nodes 2327–2415 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 26 of 28 in this edition
Length
479 words · 635 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.810 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T10 · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
¶The whylst (yu widdowe) answer me directly to this geare. Thy husband is ereued quyght of breath, his lyfe is don. ¶Enquier wher thy brother is, So seke about my son. ¶He is departed out of Gree. ¶Go fetch him out of hand. ¶Fetche thou my father vnto me. ¶Gyue me to vnderstand, Where doth he lurking hyde his head? where is he shrunk awaye? ¶All plonge of perills past he is, ad at a quyet staye. And in another kyngdom where no harme he doth mistrust, This aunswere were sufficient, to please a parent iust. But one whose brest dothboil in wrath, it cannot satesfye. ¶To daye by death thou shalt receiue thy fatall destynye. ¶On this condicion am I pleasd, the Alter to forsake. If that this hande shall do the dead, my death when I shall take. Or els if in my throte to bathe thy blade, thou do delyght, Most willynglye I yeld my throte, and gyue the leue to smye. Or if thou wyll chop of my head in brutysh beastly guyse, My necke a waytyng for the wound out stretched redye lies. Thou hast committed synfully a great and greuous guylt. Go purge thy hardned handes, y• which thy husbandes blood haue spil. ¶O thou that of my perylls all doest suffer part wyth me, And in my realme doest also rule with egall dignitie, Aegisthus art thou glad at this? (as doth her not behoue,) With checks & taunts y• doughter doth her mothers mallyce moue. She kepes her brothers counsell close Conueyd out of the waye. ¶Thou malipert and wiles wench thyne eluysh prayng staye, Refrayne those wordes vnfytt thy mothers glowing ears to vex. ¶What shall the breder of this broyle controll me with his checkes, Whose fathers gilt hath caused him to haue a doubtfull name, Who both is to his syster sonne, and nephew to the same? ¶To snapp her head of with thy swerd Aegist doest thou refrayne? Let her gyue vp the ghost: or bryng Her brother strayght agayne: Let her be lockt in dungeon darke, and let her spend her dayes, In Caues & Rocks, wt painefull pangs, torment her euerye wayes. I hope him whom she hidden hath, she will agayne discrye, Through being clapt in pryson strong and suffring pouertye With earksom and vnsauory smells on euery syde annoyde, Enorst to weare a widdowes wede, er weddinge day enioyde: Put in exile and banyshment when eche man doth her hate: So shall she be by myserye compeld to yeld to late, Prohibyted of holsom ayr fruision to haue. ¶Graūt me mi dome bi means of death to passe vnto my graue. ¶I would haue graunted it to the, if thou should it denye. Unskilfull is the tyrant, who by suffryng wretches dye Doth end their pains. ¶what after death doth any thing remayne?